Ashley Aviram has been scoring big goals all season for the Beverly Hills High School girls varsity soccer team, so it’s no surprise that she tallied the Normans’ biggest one when it was needed the most. The junior rocketed a direct free kick over the head of Santa Monica High School goalkeeper Sarah Lipshy from 35 yards out early in the 93rd minute to propel the Normans to a 1-1 tie against the Vikings Friday night at Nickoll Field. Had the Normans lost, they would’ve had to defeat Inglewood and archrival Culver City to clinch their first league crown since joining the Ocean League in 2004. Now, they need only to tie one of their final two games to capture the title outright. “I normally take the free kicks from there and I was just trying to put it on frame,” Aviram said of her team-best 22nd goal. “I was very upset that we were losing. Of course we wanted to win, but we knew a tie would be sufficient.” It was perhaps one of the most satisfying games coach Scott Franks has experienced with the Normans—either as a player or coach. He was a center midfielder for boys coach Steve Rappaport from 1992-96 and has piloted the girls program for nine years. What made it all the more rewarding is that Aviram’s goal was almost identical to the overtime goal she scored to beat the Vikings on their own field earlier in the season. “She’s so clutch,” Franks said of Aviram, who is four goals shy of the school single-season record held by Emily Litvak and just eight away from Litvak’s career scoring record of 55 goals. “We knew a tied would work in our favor so we took a more conservative approach to the game. But when they scored we had to go into attack mode and we moved [Aviram] up to the front from stopper. She couldn’t have placed it any better.” Santa Monica broke the scoreless tie in the 83rd minute with a redirection by striker Brenda Torres-Matos off a high corner kick from Kristen Vasquez. However, it only made the Normans more determined to find the back of the net themselves. Beverly Hills’ senior goalkeeper Ida Trevino entered the game having allowed just one goal in league play and rose to the challenge once again Friday, making 17 saves while constantly communicating with her defenders. By the time the final whistle blew she had almost no voice left to cheer. “My heart was pounding the whole game. I was yelling the whole time,” Trevino said. ”We knew the situation going into it, how important it was not to lose. I’m overall really calm but when we got behind I knew we needed to score. I was trying to stay really positive.” Franks recognized that Trevino’s experience showed in the final minutes. “She was All-League last year, she will be again this year and she was on top of her game tonight,” he said. “To have the presence of mind to trap the ball with her chest and waste 30 seconds on the clock shows how sharp she is and how aware she is of the situation.” BHHS wraps up the regular season at home Tuesday against Inglewood (a team the Normans routed 7-0 in their first meeting) and then Thursday at archrival Culver City, which lost 1-0 on a goal by Beverly Hills’ Tiffany Moore in their first encounter. “This is the pinnacle because I have so much respect for [Samohi] and there’s nothing I wanted more this season than to win league,” Franks said. “We started the season 3-4, we had a lot of egos and we had some injuries. To overcome it all and be where we are now, I couldn’t be more proud. The girls did what they had to do.” MATCH STATISTICS Goals: Santa Monica—Brenda Torres-Matos, 83rd minute. Beverly Hills—Ashley Aviram, 93rd minute. Saves: Santa Monica—11, Sarah Lipshy. Beverly Hills—12, Ida Trevino. Records: Santa Monica 10-5-3 overall, 5-2-1 league; Beverly Hills 12-5-3, 7-0-1. B e sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . More: OT Goal Lifts BHHS Soccer

Alfie is a young, male American bulldog mix and a shelter favorite. He has been neutered and is up to date with his routine shots. Not much is known of his past since he was found as a stray, but there is no denying Alfie is a darling dog that would make a great companion. This sweet pooch is looking for a foster home, or even better, a forever home. Ace of Hearts is a 501c-3 dog rescue foundation dedicated to rescuing dogs—the day they are to be euthanized—from various Los Angeles shelters and placing them in loving homes. It does not take dogs in. It rescues only from shelters. Its adoption days are normally held every Saturday at the West Hollywood Petco at 508 N. Doheny Drive from 1-4 p.m. Click here for information on how to adopt a rescue dog from Ace of Hearts. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . See the article here: Rescue Dog of the Week: Alfie the American Bulldog Mix

Director David Lynch holds a check for $1,000,000 at the press conference for The David Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on December 2, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. More: David Lynch wants soldiers to meditate

Torie Osborn ‘s campaign to win the newly created 50th Assembly District , which includes Beverly Hills, continued to gain support this week with an endorsement from the West Hollywood-based Stonewall Democratic Club . The political veteran has already received backing from the Santa Monica Democratic Club , Malibu Democratic Club and the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley . Osborn garnered 74 percent of the Stonewall Democratic Club vote, besting South Bay Assemblywoman Betsy Butler nearly 3-1. Of the 209 votes cast at the club’s annual endorsement meeting on Wednesday, Osborn won 154 to 55. “Stonewall is delighted to throw our full and enthusiastic support behind Torie Osborn,” Stonewall Democratic Club President Stephen David Simon said. “From her response to AIDS while running the Gay and Lesbian Center to her work for tax reform with California Calls , Torie sees the big picture and knows how to transform crisis into lasting progressive change.” The Stonewall Democratic Club was founded in 1975 as a means of uniting the LGBT community and its straight allies within the Democratic Party. “As someone who spent so much of my life working for equality in the feminist and LGBT movements, and for social justice across all communities, this endorsement means so much to me,” Osborn said. “I am honored and humbled by their support.” Prior to the vote, club members heard testimonials on behalf of the candidates. Former state Senator Sheila Kuehl described Osborn as “the real thing,” a longtime LGBT activist whose work spanned the district, from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center to the Liberty Hill Foundation. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . See the original post here: Stonewall Democratic Club Endorses Osborn

Due to power line work, southbound Sepulveda Boulevard will be closed nightly near the Getty ramps for about two weeks, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The nighttime closures, which began Tuesday, are taking place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Metro officials said the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is replacing vaults at the Sepulveda under-crossing near the Getty 405 Freeway ramps. The southbound side of Sepulveda will be fully closed during night hours and there may also be daytime lane closures. Details of the closure and vault placement are as follows: Southbound Sepulveda will be closed between the northbound Getty off-ramp and the southbound Getty off-ramp. Northbound Sepulveda will be down to one lane between the southbound Getty off-ramp and the northbound Getty off-ramp. Nighttime closures are from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Daytime work may continue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with one lane of Sepulveda maintained in each direction. LADWP work will be completed in approximately two weeks. Detour information is as follows: Southbound traffic on Sepulveda will be detoured to the southbound 405 Getty on-ramp. Motorists may turn right from the southbound Getty off-ramp to Sepulveda. Left turns from the southbound Getty off-ramp to Sepulveda will be restricted. Metro reports that local access for residents will be maintained and that emergency responders will have access at all times. Pedestrians will be rerouted to a safe area. Closures and construction are subject to weather conditions. For the latest information, visit the Metro website . Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . See the article here: Southbound Sepulveda Blvd. Closing Nightly Near Getty Ramps

The Internal Revenue Service receives thousands of reports each year from taxpayers who receive emails, phone calls, faxes or notices claiming to be from the IRS. Many of these scams fraudulently use the IRS name or logo as a lure to make the communication appear more authentic and enticing. The goal of these scams, known as “phishing,” is to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. The scammers can then use your information—like your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers—to commit identity theft or steal your money. Here are five things the IRS wants you to know about phishing scams. The IRS never asks for detailed personal and financial information like PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. If you receive an email from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site: Do not reply to the message. Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer. Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious email or phishing website and entered confidential information, visit the IRS website and enter the search term ‘identity theft’ for more information and resources to help. The address of the official IRS website is www.irs.gov . Do not be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov . If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus, do not provide any personal information on the suspicious site and report it to the IRS. If you receive a phone call, fax or letter in the mail from an individual claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee, contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need to contact you. Report any bogus correspondence. You can forward a suspicious email to phishing@irs.gov. You can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. Details on how to report specific types of scams and what to do if you’ve been victimized are available at www.irs.gov . Click on “phishing” on the homepage. This report was compiled with information from the IRS. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Read more: Watch Out for Tax Time Tricks

I think we all learned an important lesson last night, amirite ladies? If you want to upstage someone who’s announcing their divorce on reality television, what you have to do is appear practically naked in every scene. Thank you, Brandi, for that immeasurably useful bit of information. more › The rest is here: ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Recap: Boobs and a Break-Up

The mother of arson suspect Harry Burkhart is wanted in Germany on 19 counts of fraud, including charges that she bilked apartment renters out of security deposits and failed to pay for breast-augmentation surgery, according to Los Angeles federal court papers unsealed Tuesday. Dorothee Burkhart appeared in federal court for a detention hearing, but the proceeding has been delayed until Friday to give her time to hire an attorney. According to various reports, her arrest last week may have led to her son’s alleged arson spree in which more than 50 fires were set in the Los Angeles area. Harry Burkhart, 24, allegedly launched into a tirade during his mother’s court hearing last week, a police official told the Los Angeles Times . A German national living in Hollywood, he is being held without bail in downtown Los Angeles on suspicion of arson of an inhabited dwelling and is tentatively scheduled to make a court appearance in Van Nuys on Wednesday. “I hate America,” Harry Burkhart said as he was being arrested, ABC News reported. In court, Dorothee Burkhart reportedly asked loudly for her son several times, repeating in heavily accented English, “Where is my son? What did you do to my son?” At one point, the distraught woman, who is in her early 50s, spoke of “German Nazis.” She said that her son is “mentally ill” and has “disappeared.” A warrant for Dorothee Burkhart’s arrest was issued in Germany in 2007, according to court papers. She is accused of subletting apartments she did not own, failing to pay rent and security deposits on other locations, and of defrauding a Frankfurt cosmetic surgeon out of the equivalent of about $10,000 for breast augmentation surgery she never paid for, according to a provisional arrest warrant. This report has been compiled with information from City News Service. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . See the original post: Mother of Arson Suspect in Federal Custody on German Warrant

The driver of an Audi station wagon is alleged to have caused a chain-reaction car accident at about 4 p.m. Saturday in the city-owned parking lot at 439 N. Canon Drive. One witness, who asked to remain anonymous, reported to the Beverly Hills Police Department that he saw the Audi’s female driver “come flying down the exit” to the second underground level of the parking structure. The Audi then turned left, against traffic arrows, and slammed into two parked cars that then hit two other parked vehicles. “I’ve been a police officer for 21 years and I have never seen a car accident like this—two floors down in a [subterranean] garage,” BHPD Officer Don Chase said. One passenger was in the Audi with the driver during the accident. There were no passengers inside the four parked vehicles that were involved in the crash—a Mercedes SUV, a BMW sedan, a Mercedes station wagon and a BMW SUV. The Audi’s front airbags were deployed. The driver was overheard saying that she believed her brakes had failed. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Continue reading here: 5-Car Accident Takes Place in City Parking Facility